


Don't Trust No one

by laurenkayekalt



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Daggers, F/M, Gen, Guns, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Knives, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Violence, Walkers, made up plot, season seven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:11:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8818072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenkayekalt/pseuds/laurenkayekalt
Summary: Carl decides to go on his first supply run by himself. Everything is going smoothly until he comes across a young woman about his age being surrounded by walkers. After helping her out, he sees how interesting and different she is from all the others. But he must decide whether or not to take her to Alexandria. But even if he's willing to, will she want to go with him?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fanfic so please be gentle with the criticism lol

It was Carl’s first supply run on his own. Since Negan took leadership of Alexandria, the community hasn’t been the same. His father had become submissive to Negan’s domination and no longer believed that it was fit to fight his control any longer. 

And Carl hated it. 

He hated Negan, hated his henchmen, hated the way they treated everybody like they were nothing more than their property. But most of all, he hated how vulnerable his people were. 

But there was nothing that could be done. If anyone acted out, it would be the cost of another life taken by Negan and Lucille. And he would still be in control. There would be no point. 

Carl reached the end of the alley way he had been walking down. Before he turned onto the main road, he heard a few snarls. Walkers. From the sound of it, he guessed there had to be at least five. He began to turn back, but suddenly heard a woman screaming. Without a second thought, Carl ran around the corner.

One walker laid on the ground, blood pooling from a wound on its head. Another seven walkers were closing in on a young woman, looking to be about his age. He pulled out his Glock 17 from its holster and shot at the walking dead. Two of the walkers were on the ground before the others noticed him.  
They rest turned and began stumbling toward him. The woman came up behind one of the walkers and plunged a dagger into its brain. She quickly pulled it out and jumped onto another one closest to her. Carl sprinted toward the fight. He shot down two more and was about to take down the last one when the woman tackled it to the ground and repeatedly hurled her dagger into the walker’s eye sockets. 

Carl bent down and tried to pull the woman up by her arm, but she yanked out of his hold and bolted up onto her feet, raising her dagger in the air.

“Whoa, whoa.” Carl raised his arms above his head, his pistol in his right hand. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“Yeah, right.” The woman narrowed her eyes at him. 

“Look,” Carl slowly dropped his arms and placed the gun back in his holster, not taking his eyes off of her in case she made a move. “See, not a threat.”

The two stand in silence for a moment, the young woman still tense and alert. 

“What’s your name?” Carl asked. 

The woman looked at him with confusion. “Why did you help me?” 

He looked at the walkers laying on the ground and returned his attention to the woman. “How many walkers have you killed?” 

“What does it matter?” 

Carl shrugged. “Curiosity. Quite impressive what you did here.” He nodded in the direction of the bodies.

“Well, it’s not my first run-in with zombies.” The woman lowered her dagger and placed it in a belt loop, but Carl noticed how rigged her body still was.

Carl chuckled. “You call them zombies?”

“Well, it’s better than what you call ‘em. Walkers. Really?”

Carl let out a breathy laugh. “Fair enough. So how many?”

The woman pulled out a tiny traveler’s journal and a pen. She looked at the bodies sprawled out on the road and jotted down a few quick scribbles then threw the book at Carl. He caught it swiftly and looked at the pages. 

There were rows of dates and places with a small number next to them. The numbers varied from single digits in the high twenties. Carl didn’t bother counting them up. He knew it was a lot. But what caught his eyes were certain days that were circled. They weren’t circled once. No. The women scribbled circles around the date until the pen nearly ripped through the page. 

But he made no mention of them. He closed the book and tossed it back at the woman. She swiftly put it back in her jacket and turned her attention back to Carl. 

“How many people have you killed?” 

“None. But I almost did. Once.” 

“Why?”

The woman starred at Carl for a few moments before speaking. “What do you want?” 

“Just answer the question.”

“Why?” The woman snapped, raising her voice. “You haven’t answered any of mine questions. Why did you help me? What do you want?” She stepped forward, glaring at Carl. 

The two stood there in silence until a distant snarl come from around a building nearby. The woman sighed. 

“I’ve got this one.” She drew her dagger out and marched toward the walker. As she neared, more walkers come out from behind the building. First five, then ten, then more. The woman slowed her pace and eventually began to slowly back up. She heard Carl yelling at her but his words were incoherent. 

Carl ran after her and grabbed her by the arm. She stumbled back and the two began running down the street, away from the walkers. 

“Where are we going?” The woman yelled.

“I have a car parked down the road away from the town.” 

They sprinted down the road, the herd of walkers following a few feet back. When the car came into few, the two ran faster. Both of them fumbled with the door handles and yanked open the doors, throwing themselves into the car. Carl pulled out the keys from his back pocket and grappled with the keys, trying to put the car key in the ignition. He turned the key but the car didn’t start. 

“Oh, come on.” He turned it once more. Nothing. “Shit.” He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, repeatedly turning the key. 

The woman looked in the side mirror and turned around to peer through the back window. “Hey, hey they’re getting closer.” 

“I know.” Carl snapped. He twisted the key once more. The engine revved to life just as the walkers began pounding on the trunk of the car. Carl put the car into drive and slammed down on the gas pedal. 

The woman watched as the walkers disappeared from sight. She turned back around in her seat and slumped into it. “I’ve never seen so many of them together.” 

“Really?” 

The woman turned to look at Carl. She nodded. “I try to stay in the wooded areas. They usually wander alone through the woods, but sometimes I run into a group of four or five. Never that many.” 

“You’ve been lucky then.” Carl huffed. 

The woman became silent, turning her attention to the scenery outside the passenger window. Carl sped down the road, forest trees on both sides, the sun peering through the tall branches. 

“Where are we going?” 

“To Alexandria.”

“Alexandria? Who’s that?” 

“It’s not a person. It’s a place. A community actually.” 

“A community?” The woman furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Those questions I was asking you. They were a test to see whether or not I should take you to Alexandria.” 

“And what’s so great about Alexandria?” 

“It’s safe. There’s walls and guards. No walker has gotten in for months.”

“And about before then?”

Carl stayed silent. 

The woman laughed in disbelief. “Pull over.” 

Carl glanced at her. “What?”

“I said ‘pull over’.” 

“No, I’m taking you to Alexandria. You’ll be safe there.” 

“Pull over!” The woman drew her dagger and pressed it against Carl’s throat. Carl sighed and slowed the car to a stop. The woman flung open the car door and slammed it shut. Carl went after her, climbing out of the car. “You are insane!”

“What?” Carl looked at her like she was mad. 

“Safe? Nothing, nowhere is safe! These things—they’re everywhere. No matter where you go, there will be right behind you.” 

Carl lifted his gun and cocked it. The woman looked heartbroken.

“So that’s it.” She glanced down at her feet and let out a broken laugh. “You’re just like all the others. Help me—the damsel and distress—claiming that all you wanted was to save me. But once it’s all over, you expect a favor, gratitude.” The woman raised her arms. “So what do you want? I’ve got nothing except my dagger and my body, so which is it, huh? Which is it?!”

Carl fired his gun. A thud came from behind the woman and she turned around to see a walker lying on the side of the road, a bullet in its head. She turned back around to look at Carl. His face was a blank. 

A moment passed before he spoke. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through. But I promise you, all I want is to keep you safe. And if you don’t trust me, fine, I understand. But at least come with me and check out Alexandria. See what you think. If you leave, fine. If you stay, great. Just give me a chance.” 

Carl walked to the driver’s side of the car and put his hand on the door handle. He looked up at the woman and waited for her answer. The woman turned from him and looked down at the walker once more. She sighed and climbed into the car.


End file.
